1. Field of the Invention
This application pertains generally to the field of excavating, and more particularly to snow or ice removal using scraper blades with auxiliary wings or extensions. In one preferred embodiment, the invention is a snow plow blade having a central section, the central section leading and coupled to a skid-steer, and two pivotal wings extending beyond the skid-steer and central section, both wings which are each separately adjustable through a nearly one hundred and eighty degree arc.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most modern transportation is based upon wheels, which perform much better traveling over clear, dry roadways. In addition to facilitating vehicular travel, the clearing of snow will also facilitate melting and drying in the more temperate regions, which makes for much cleaner, less icy, and safer areas for persons to traverse. While snow is sometimes cleared manually, snow plow blades simplify and greatly accelerate the clearing of snow from a particular area. Plows also reduce the chance of physical over-exertion, which can lead to heart attacks, strokes and death in those with compromised cardiovascular systems. As a result, snow plows have become relatively indispensable in the “snow-belt” regions.
A large number of snow plow blades have been devised in the prior art, most which are supported upon and require movement of a separate machine. Common snow plows are coupled on the front of a vehicle such as an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) or automobile. In the case of the ATV, clearing a light snow in a relatively small space is quite feasible, but such plows are just not suitable for either larger areas or deeper snows. The ATV is not heavy enough nor powerful enough to move substantial snow. In the case of an automobile, a common sight in the “snow belt” is that of a pick-up truck, SUV or four-wheel drive with a large plow coupled to the front. These plows, which comprise the vast majority of smaller commercial snow-removal equipment, may be accompanied at a job site by skid-steers or the like that provide front-end loader capability. The front-end loader complements a plow truck by being able to lift the snow onto taller piles, and in some instances may be used to load snow into snow-hauling dump trucks or the like.
Municipalities frequently employ trucks that are much larger than pick-ups for snow plowing, generally with front-mounted plows in the form of a large and tall blade placed at an angle to the front of the truck. As the truck is driven forward, the snow is then pushed, or in some instances literally rolled and blown, off to the side. Once again, front-end or other types of loaders may be employed where there is not sufficient space to simply leave the snow pushed off to the side.
A common feature that each of the foregoing snow plows have in common is the width of the plow. In each case, the plow is designed to function essentially within the width of a single traffic lane. Said another way, the pickup truck with front-mounted blade must travel over the roadways, typically going from location to location to clear snow. During transit, the plow must fit within the allotted lane of the roadway. Consequently, the vast majority of plows are limited to clearing an approximately eight foot wide pathway. Furthermore, and as aforementioned, these plows are unable to pile the snow beyond a height limited by the height of the blade and weight and traction of the vehicle.
In some cases, road-grading equipment has been used to clear snow. Most road graders have the ability to pivot the blade about a vertical axis, and so the blade may be significantly longer than eight feet, since the blade may be oriented so that the longest dimension of the blade extends nearly parallel to the vehicle longitudinal axis during transit, and may later be pivoted to extend more perpendicular to the vehicle direction of travel for use at a site. However, road graders are very specialized and expensive machines, the price which is beyond most individuals and organizations that are involved in snow clearing and removal. Furthermore, most road graders are designed to carry the blade in the center of the vehicle, beneath the operator. Consequently, it is impossible to accumulate snow at any elevation much higher than the blade. In turn then, there are frequent times when snow must be hauled away which might otherwise simply be piled. If the snow must be hauled, then, in addition to the road grader, there must also be a suitably sized loader and hauler.
Some more recent equipment has included supplemental wings or extensions. In the case of road grading, an adjustable extension may enable the plow to not only grade a roadway, but through the wing extension a shoulder or even a ditch may be plowed. While such extensions are coming into more favor in the road grading industry and occasionally in the case of municipal plows, these extensions have heretofore been applied simply to permit the extension of reach from a traffic lane into a shoulder, ditch or the like. Furthermore, these extensions have offered no little further synergy, other than a larger or wider blade, or, in some cases, the ability to adjust angles to simultaneously address a roadway and a ditch or embankment. Exemplary of the technology, and the contents which are incorporated herein by reference, are the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,430,706 by Marron, entitled “Slope cutting attachment for bulldozers,” which illustrates a wing blade that hydraulically adjusts from perpendicular behind the main blade to a significant angle forward of the main blade; 4,099,578 by Stevens, entitled “Hinged bulldozer blade,” which illustrates pivoting wingblades with hydraulic actuation cylinders from the main blade; 4,723,609 by Curtis, entitled “Double bladed combination scraper,” which illustrates hydraulic ram actuated side wings; 5,758,728 by Ragule, entitled “Plow with articulating blade,” which illustrates a segmented blade pivoted so two segments act together in configuring the wing section; 6,408,549 and 6,412,199 by Quenzi et al, which illustrate wings that pivot forward and have an extension that is hydraulically actuated; 5,285,588 by Niemela et al, entitled “Winged plow,” which discloses side gates for a plow blade that pivot from almost perpendicular to the main blade forward to just aft of parallel with the main blade; and 5,638,618 by Niemela et al, entitled “Adjustable wing plow,” which discloses wing blades that pivot from parallel to the main blade to forward of the main blade.
As this technology has been novelly adapted to the field of snow plowing, other artisans, as shown by the following patents, the teachings which are further incorporated herein by reference, have further adapted the wings. U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,444 by Desmarais, entitled “Snow blade with tilting lateral panels,” shows a pivot of side panels from fully to the rear to forward of parallel with the center blade by hydraulic ram. U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,174, U.S. Pat. No. 6,044,579 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,154,986 by Hadler et al, illustrate a small center blade and two wing blades adjustable forward and aft. U.S. Pat. No. 6,442,877 by Quenzi et al, entitled “Plow with rear mounted, adjustable wing,” discloses the general use of winged plow device for snow and other materials. The blade extends and retracts sideways, and pivots forward when extended. U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,312 by Targeon, entitled “Folding snow compactor with side wings pivotal behind central blade,” illustrates wings that pivot from stowed behind the main blade to fully extended sideways. U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,318 by Daniels, entitled “Snowplow with pivotal blade end extensions,” discloses wings that pivot between extended and stowed, and the blade is detachable from vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 3,477,151 by Zanella, entitled “Snowplow,” illustrates wing blades that pivot from parallel to the main blade to forward positions through hydraulic actuation. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,356,645 by Hine et al, entitled “Variable wing plow blade and mounting structure therefor,” illustrates wing blades that pivot forward and aft of parallel with center blade.
A number of other artisans have illustrated related subject matter, the teachings which are additionally incorporated herein by reference, including U.S. Pat. No. 3,206,879 by Grover; U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,139 by Fagervold et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,284 by Mikami et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,848,654 by Belcher; U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,230 by Daniels; U.S. Pat. No. 6,249,992 by Irving et al; and U.S. published application 2002/0194752 by Guinard.